Pintal is the nom de plume that has been writing articles about sailing and politics of sailing since the early ‘80's.  Initial articles were about racing inshore on the coast of Ireland. Over time  this has developed. Sea time includes some 72,000 miles offshore, racing, delivery and cruising in the waters of Ireland, England, France, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, Newfoundland, Great Lakes, Vancouver Island, East Coast Canada and United States, Gulf Coast, Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean.

The pintal in a boat is the last fixing that holds the rudder in place, so without a pintal there can be no directional stability. The articles written by Pintal in the early 1980's were all at the end of magazine Clinker the saga of the IDRA 14 voted best class rag of the decade by yachting journalist Winkie Nixon.